


Miscommunication

by echoflowertea



Series: Living [27]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Female Reader, Reader Is Not Frisk, fat reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-12
Updated: 2016-08-12
Packaged: 2018-08-08 08:05:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7749865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/echoflowertea/pseuds/echoflowertea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Something is going on with the skelebros and they’re not speaking to each other. You’re afraid of what that might mean for your relationship with them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Miscommunication

**Author's Note:**

> i update this series on **fridays**!
> 
> come hang out with me on **[tumblr](http://echoflowertea.tumblr.com/)**! i reblog my fav art, answer your questions, and fill requests!

****“So what are you getting the brothers for Monster Day?”

You shrugged, pushing along the cart and ignoring the heated stare from the guy pilfering through the peanut butter aisle. Sorry for so rudely interrupting.

“I’m not sure, honestly. Buying gifts for them is pretty difficult. They tell me they don’t want anything – well, Papyrus does, and Sans pretty much cooks up some extravagant gift that doesn’t make any sense – and then they’re just so…excited to receive anything at all? I feel like my stuff hasn’t been very impressive, but since we were such good friends, they didn’t have the heart to tell me. And now it’s even harder because we’re dating.”

Toriel chuckled. “I think you are overthinking it. They are very understanding and enjoy any kind of thought you put into trying to make them happy.”

“Sure, but we were just _friends_ back then. Now we’re together! I feel like I need something major to show them how much I care. To celebrate that we’re dating.”

You and Toriel were at the local grocery store to stock up on stuff for her kids. Having four of them was pretty tough on her pocket sometimes, but you were always willing to pitch in when you could. The fact that they were growing so fast made her ecstatic, as she had seen a lot of human children frozen in time after knowing that they were killed after they left her haven Underground. You would’ve thought that it would make her upset, but she wasn’t going to clip their wings and treat them like babies any more.

You bent down and rummaged through some of the candies they had on the shelf. Ooh, gummy worms.

“If you are that worried, perhaps you should ask them.”

“Ugh, Tori! It ruins the surprise if I do that.”

“So…you want them to like what you buy, but do not wish to ask them for specifics in what they would want.”

“Yes.”

“Oh.” She reached over and hugged you. “You are too adorable.”

You lingered around the free sample guy for a little while. You didn’t want to say anything, but you were starving when you came in. You swiped a couple in the guise of feeding them to the kids, even though they just handed them back to you when the guy’s back was turned. You were trying hard to pretend to be savoring the flavors and considering buying the product, but really it was just a way for you to sate your hunger until your next meal.

“What are you getting me?”

You glanced at her mischievously. “Really? You think you can get it out of me that easily?”

Monster Day was a fairly new holiday. It honestly didn’t have a historic event even attached to it. It wasn’t the day that monsters came to the surface. It wasn’t the mark of some big negotiation between their kind and humans. It came about through some small tradition in a little town and was eventually adopted by entire nations. Maybe the date resonated with monsters because it was simple to remember. Maybe they just talked about it through social media and decided to try it out for themselves. 

Whatever the case, it was perfect for monsters to celebrate that they weren’t the scary, violent species that fairytales and legends painted them out to be.

You’d always participated in the holiday, but you never felt like you actually succeeded. No one ever outright told you that your gifts were inappropriate. It could’ve just been your anxiety, but you wanted this year to be special.

“Oh! Look!” Toriel nudged you in the ribs and nearly knocked you over. She really forgot about her own strength sometimes.

You followed her line of sight and saw a familiar skeleton bouncing up and down the aisles. It was Papyrus! A steady blush crawled along your face and Toriel chuckled.

“Shut up, Tori!”

“You are so in love with him. You lit up immediately. I am telling him.”

“You’d better not! He’ll go on a rant and the entire store will watch!”

He had a basket strung along his arm as he shopped. The thing dwarfed in comparison to his massive stature, and it made you laugh how delicately he held it. He wasn’t really dressed up in anything too special; just a pair of shorts and a tanktop. Something for him to “get some extra sun”, as he would put it. He put his sunglasses on top of his head and bent down to grab a very large jar of pasta sauce.

“Papyrus!”

“TORIEL!” you hissed. She was doing this just to fluster you – and it was working.

It wasn’t that you didn’t want to see him. It was just…sometimes…you got a little worked up when you were in the same room together. You hadn’t done much since your SOUL melding incident, but you couldn’t stop thinking about it when you were face-to-face. He’d been so busy lately with work that you hadn’t made time to try it again. If he wanted that, of course. Which. You knew he probably did.

He perked up and his entire face broke into a wide grin. Toriel kept sticking her elbow into your side to cackle at the shift in his expression. Laugh it up. You would get her back for this.

“OH!!! I HAD NO IDEA YOU WOULD BE HERE, LOVE OF MY LIFE! AND TORIEL, I HAVE NOT SEEN YOU IN A FEW DAYS OR SO. INCREDIBLE. TWO OF MY FAVORITE WOMEN IN ONE PLACE (DO NOT TELL UNDYNE).”

You chuckled at that. “Picking up some stuff for dinner tomorrow?”

“YES, I AM GOING TO MAKE A PASTA SO AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS THAT YOU WILL WEEP TEARS OF ABSOLUTELY JOY. AND I WILL WIPE THEM AWAY WITH MY MANLY FINGERS.” He peered around you. “ARE THE CHILDREN WITH YOU?”

“Yes, I think they are causing trouble in the candy aisle.”

“OOH. THAT WOULD BE MY FIRST GUESS IN WHERE TO LOOK. SO AM I STILL TO EXPECT YOU TOMORROW NIGHT?”

“Yeah, of course. Is Sans going to pick me up?”

His expression clouded over. Something had snapped behind that usually carefree expression. “NO. HE WILL NOT. YOU AND I WILL BE DINING ALONE.”

“Oh.”

Toriel lifted a brow and looked at you, back and forth. “Is there a reason? Is he swamped at work?”

Papyrus didn’t look so hot any more. “I…DO NOT WISH TO TALK ABOUT IT? MY BROTHER AND I…” He cleared his throat. “WOWIE, LOOK AT THE TIME. I SHOULD REALLY GET GOING IF I AM TO PREPARE FOR THE ULTIMATE DISH OF LOVE.” He bent down and smooched you.  It was just hard enough to make your toes curl and bring you to a reluctant grin. “HAVE FUN ON YOUR PLATONIC SHOPPING TRIP.”

“Goodbye, Papyrus!”

He rushed away from you like he wanted to be anywhere but here. You wondered how he managed to somehow walk diagonally across the aisles without knocking anything over. More time and space-defying behavior from your unique monster boyfriend.

You and Toriel went to the checkout lane not too long after. Papyrus chatted with the cashier on the other end of the store. You watched him tense and stare at the entryway just as Sans walked in. The both of them locked eyes, turned away, and pretended not to even notice each other.

Something was wrong. That was unlike them. The two were independent, sure, but they would never just ignore each other if they met in public. Sans would’ve come over to mess with him, Papyrus would’ve caused a fuss, and they both would’ve ambled over to rile you up. Seeing them act this way was not only jarring, but a little concerning.

Toriel’s kids rushed ahead of you to the car, conscious of the traffic around the shopping center. You weren’t quick enough to call shotgun in her van, so you were squished between two of her kids while they blew bubbles from their gum dangerously close to your hair. You would help them unload everything at home and get things settled.

You were handing off one of the bags to Fram when Toriel crooked a finger at you to stand next to her near the front seat.

“Do you have any idea why Papyrus acted that way earlier?”

“I honestly don’t. It was…weird. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so upset before.”

“It is…strange. It almost seemed as though they were fighting.”

Papyrus? And Sans? Actually _fighting_? That was…a little hard to take in. The two of them were close and their little spats were resolved within a few minutes. You could never imagine them getting into a heated argument and ignoring each other.

Still…it would explain why they didn’t stop and chat at the store. And why Papyrus seemed so upset when you mentioned his brother. And why he wouldn’t have let Sans eat dinner with you any more.

Oh, god. What happened? You chewed at your lower lip and went through the rest of the day in a near catatonic state. At one point, one of the kids popped their balloon in your face and you barely even flinched. You just couldn’t stop mulling over all the evidence of them being at odds. How you hadn’t heard from either of them as frequently as you had before, how your hangouts had dwindled since, well…

You thought hard. When was it that things got weird? How did you miss it? Did you seriously just not come to realize that the both of them hadn’t been speaking in well over a week? Or was this just a recent thing that blew up because of something unrelated to the progression in your relationships? It didn’t make you feel very good that the cause of their spat could’ve been you. You couldn’t handle that information, not when they swore up and down that being with both of them was what they wanted. Had jealousy finally kicked in? Were they upset with each other because they wanted you to themselves???

That thought made you sick. You barely even touched the heaping slice of snail pie that Toriel put on your plate.

Hmm. You could’ve been overreacting. That tended to be the case since your anxiety got in the way of rational thought. But you couldn’t think of anything else that would’ve affected them this way. These were two complete opposites who compromised because they cared about each other. They wanted the other person to be happy and would do anything to make it so. So the fact that they were this at odds…well…

As much as you wanted to get involved, if this was their first real fight, then they needed to work it out. Even if you were the subject of the disagreement. Because they couldn’t rely on you for everything, and if they were to reach a fair conclusion, then they had to do it in a way where you didn’t outright influence or sway their opinions.

You spent the night tossing and turning. Trying to push all the negative thoughts out of your mind. Hoping with all of your might that what Toriel said wasn’t the case, and somewhere deep down knowing that she was right.

You were off from work, so you decided to get your Monster Day shopping out of the way. You had to find something fun and appropriate for the both of them, as well as all of your other immediate friends. Alphys and Undyne were much easier to shop for because of their fixated interests, and Toriel had a long list of things she needed that you could grab her.

The city you lived in was pretty much split down the middle in terms of its monster and human population. Monsters started out in a very small part of it, the ruined and destroyed buildings that no one else wanted. But they accepted their placement with open arms because they made it into something incredible. What was nothing but graffitied walls and rundown houses that might’ve held some kind of bug infestation at some point was replaced with flourishing businesses and shops.

Things weren’t so…segregated. You were afraid that monsters would be confined to one space and forced to stay there despite their wishes. But as humans warmed up to the idea of them, and they helped your species out in a multitude of ways, you lived in a place where they mingled and were interwoven. It was amazing.

You hit the crosswalk button and waited for a few seconds before traffic came to a halt. It was pretty nice out today, the wind just crisp enough that it sent a pleasant chill down your spine as you walked across the street. You were really enjoying the shift in the weather. Nothing was worse than it snowing up a storm outside and leaving you in nothing but about ten layers of clothes while you complained the entire season. You were good with this; just tepid enough that you didn’t sweat your makeup off. Everybody was happy.

Monster Day preparations were already in full swing. Some of the trailers were already parked in the giant field across the way. Monsters were…interesting about this kind of thing. Instead of setting up stands or booths, they brought entire mobile homes to showcase all of their favorite things and crafts. It was pretty great, though it made you nervous about then not-so nice partygoers that could’ve just swiped things inside or invaded their privacy.

You glanced along the tiny shops crammed together. Monsters were all about efficiency. Living Underground had trained a lot of them to make the most out of what little space they had. And sure, some of them splurged and bought bigger spaces for their stores, but a lot of them were happy to plop them down in a long row so it was convenient for everyone to shift from trade to trade.

You stood on the sidewalk and leaned up against one of the bike racks, furrowing your brow. You could probably get Toriel a new day planner. Her last one was something she adored and one of her kids borrowed it for a field trip and lost it. She tried so hard not to cry that day, but you swore that you would put some money into getting her a new one. That and her trashy romance novels; she really got a kick out of humans writing about ten thousand different ways of falling in love, each one more ridiculous than the last.

“hey. gettin’ me somethin’ for monster day?”

You nearly screamed at the sudden presence, Sans flanking your left side with a cryptic grin. You dropped the calendar you were looking at and he bent down to retrieve it. It was a pretty raunchy picture of a half-naked cowboy cyborg holding a typical damsel in distress. He took one look and laughed.

“oh my god. is this your thing?”

“Shut up, you know it isn’t. Give it back.” You held your hand out.

He grinned at you. “ok. but you gotta close your eyes.”

“Um, no.”

“c’mon, when have i ever messed with ya?”

You sighed in exasperation. You could do this for hours. He would sit there and pretend that he wasn’t going to play a prank on you, you would deny him that sick pleasure, he would just beg and beg until you finally gave in. And it never mattered what your reaction was, because he would enjoy it immensely. Disgust? Good. Annoyance? Perfect. Speechlessness? Amazing.

You squeezed your eyes shut and held out a palm. Your fingers twitched. He was going to put something gross in it. What was it going to be? Some kind of bug? He knew you hated them and would scream and cause a fit. Or it would be food that _felt_ like a worm or something equally as unsettling and he would have you freak out for nothing.

Your heart pounded in your chest and you struggled to keep your breathing level. Anticipating it. Knowing that you would make an ass out of yourself but playing along anyway. Because he asked nicely and you would never be able to reject him if something this silly made him happy.

Something brushed along your lifelines and you froze.

“heh, ok. we’re good to go.”

You glanced down and gaped at him. “This…is your hand.”

“i know. pretty great, huh.” He lifted your linked fingers for emphasis. “gotcha.”

“Pffft, you jerk! I thought I was going to chuck something at you!” You laughed and tried to contain the color that sprouted along the base of your neck. “How did you get so smooth?”

“eh. lots of…research.” He winked.

It kind of put a dent in your plans, but you loved to hear his second opinion on your gift ideas. He would be honest with you after jerking you around just enough to really annoy you. And honestly, although you wanted part of this trip to be picking something out for him, it would be nice to get his opinion on something for his brother, too.

It was natural to go around like this now. Before, you and Sans were not really into the whole public display of affection thing. You weren’t too keen on having people stare and maybe judge you, as that sort of coincided with your whole anxiety thing. And Sans? He just didn’t really want to be bothered with rumors and complete strangers flocking to you. That and the thought of emotions being laid out on the table so blatantly kind of made him uncomfortable for a while there.

But you’d come to a point where you…liked it. You liked having him next to you, and kind of showing him off to the rest of the monsters. And he thoroughly enjoyed bragging about you to strangers and friends alike. Now that you were together, and you’d gotten over the initial discomfort of all things new in a relationship, it was a lot easier to deal with this sort of thing.

You snuck a glance at him and admired his profile. Despite everything that human culture taught you, this was what you were attracted to. Immensely. And he really was a very considerate, kind and understanding boyfriend. More than what you deserved sometimes. You…couldn’t have asked for anyone better. And being out here, with him, just traveling along the other crowds of monsters so you could prepare for one of their biggest holidays, was the coolest thing you could think of.

You stopped at a small gate that overlooked the skate park. Tons of teenaged monsters hung around and practiced their sick moves. Snowdrake sat near the half-pipe and was reciting material from his newest stand-up show; he actually went viral among humans because of his punny act. Sans even stopped by one of his first shows to give him encouragement, which was just what the kid needed to make his debut and thrive in the limelight.

“So, um, Sans…”

He turned to look at you, face falling. “what.”

“Are you and Papyrus…fighting?”

A small exhale of breath, then: “look, babe – you don’t gotta worry about that, ok?”

“But this is the first time you two have ever…”

“s’far as you know. me and my bro aren’t perfect. he's gotten upset with me before, but he’ll get over it. trust me.” Sans cracked a smile. “we should just get him a gift for the holiday and call it quits, huh?”

Well. If Sans…was okay with this, then you had to be, too. You were their girlfriend, sure, but you established boundaries very early on in the relationship. And you couldn’t butt into their problems just because you felt obligated to. Neither of them seemed to want you involved in the discussion, so as much as it hurt, you were just going to keep your distance from it.

You sat underneath the half-pipe, watching the kids zoom by without a care in the world. Every glance you spared, Sans returned it with a lazy smile. It was cool enough where you could enjoy the sounds around you, the bags of your gifts lying off to the side, ready to be wrapped and given away.

“Ready to head home?”

“…we can stay a little longer.” He moved to put his head in your lap, gazing up at you with a conflicted expression. “right?”

“Yeah.”

You thought about the way his SOUL felt, straining against the confines of his body. Wanting to tell you everything. Wanting to scream about its worries and frustrations, but biting its tongue because of his own pride. You weren’t going to push him about this. If he wanted to tell you, he would when he was ready. And you would wait.

The both of you took the long way home. Sans seemed reluctant to end up back on his own doorstep, and it was really worrying you. He gazed at the front door like it was about to land on him any second. You paused at the edge of the curb.

“Sans. Please come inside.”

“nah, i'm good. have fun at your dinner, though.” He winked. “my bro’s been practicing this dish for a whole week now.”

“But…”

“it’s ok. i'm gonna head to grillbz.” He turned heel. “see ya.”

“Bye.”

You weren’t sure if you should try to stop him. Something lingered in your throat. A plea, maybe? You stuffed it back down until he was out of sight, disappearing over the hill and into the setting sun. The warm feeling of the day you spent together faded, and you were left with the cold realization that things were far more complicated than they seemed.

Papyrus stuck his head out the door and peered around suspiciously. “OH! THERE YOU ARE! COME ON IN, I HAVE JUST A FEW FINAL TOUCHES BEFORE WE CAN EAT!”

You pulled your shoes off as soon as you got inside. It would be one of those nights where you stayed over, so you could shed your bra off from underneath your top and shake your hair free. Phew! You tossed the bra behind the couch where Papyrus wouldn’t find it. You made the mistake of leaving it out one night when getting ready for bed and he’d strung it up on the ceiling fan like an ornament. Because Sans told him it was the latest in human decorations.

Papyrus hummed and went about setting the table. He put down one, two, and…three plates. Looked up at you in a panic. Sweat dripped down his brow. He hastily grabbed it before it could settle and stared at the extra silverware he gathered up, too. So this was weird for both of you, then.

It wasn’t as if Sans was constantly around. You and Papyrus had date nights before, where you would just hang out and his brother found something else to do so you had privacy. That was part of your thing. You even had a little calendar on the fridge with a rough estimate of designated times so you were on the same page! It came with magnets in your likeness and everything because Alphys thought it would be cute! And it totally was!

Papyrus pulled your chair out for you and you plopped down, your appetite waning.

“S-SO! UM, FIRST WE ARE GOING TO START OUT WITH A SPECIAL DRINK. UNDYNE TOLD ME TO MAKE IT.” He grinned and bounced the cocktail shaker in his grip. “I THINK IT’S CALLED A SEX ON THE BEACH? ANYWAY, SHE SAID IT WOULD BE REMINISCENT OF OUR DAYS BEFORE WE WERE HAPPILY ENGAGED IN COUPLE STATUS.”

“Oh my god.” You couldn’t stop laughing. “I’m surprised she didn’t tell you to make a Slippery Nipple.”

Papyrus nearly fell face flat on the table. The cocktail shaker went spiraling into the air, but luckily was caught…in the jaws of Annoying Dog. It let out a weak _ruff!_ before diving underneath his legs and down to the dog door that Sans installed. Papyrus gave chase with a weak cry, trying to capture it before its tail disappeared underneath the flap, but was unsuccessful.

“DARN. I THOUGHT I HAD SEALED THAT UP. OH WELL. WE HAVE JUICE, I WILL GRAB THAT INSTEAD!”

“no need, bro.”

You nearly choked on your own tongue, in the middle of an affectionate reply from the voice resounding behind you. Sans stood in the doorway, the cocktail shaker gripped in his hand, the other in his jacket pocket. He came straight toward you with his signature grin in place. Pretending that there was nothing wrong with this picture. Ignoring the scandalized and…outright _furious_ look that Papyrus shot at him with every inch he moved closer.

“gotchya covered. pretty good stuff.” He took a long swig of it while maintaining eye contact. “want to try?”

“SANS. PLEASE DO NOT MAKE A SCENE.”

“who, me? nah.” Sans hopped up next to you and put his hand on yours. “just, y’know. starving over here. looks like ya forgot my plate, though.”

Oh, no. No! This was NOT what you wanted! You’d finally accepted that the two of them could work things out without you sticking your nose in it, and now they had to do this? Hash it out in full display? What for?

Papyrus bit his tongue and went back into the kitchen. Came back with a plate that he deposited in front of Sans with a vicious clatter. The entire room was eerily silent, save for their heated stares nearly sparking between them.

“Um, guys…”

“YES? WHAT IS IT, ABSOLUTE LOVE OF MY LIFE WHOM I WOULD NEVER EVEN DREAM OF DISAPPOINTING BECAUSE YOU ARE MY SOLE REASON FOR EXISTING?”

You swallowed. “T-the oven is going off.”

“AH! THE PASTA!!!” Papyrus rushed off, snagging the oven mitts from the table as he went. Things didn’t look very good. You could hear the smoke alarm going off and made a move to join him, but Sans refused to let go of you so you could.

“just leave ‘em.”

“Sans, let go of me. We have to help him.”

He released you, but Papyrus was already halfway out of the kitchen. His eyesockets were wide and filled with big, bubbling tears.

“NYOO HOO HOO!!! THE PASTA IS RUINED! I PUT IT IN THE OVEN FOR TWENTY MINUTES INSTEAD OF TEN.”

“Oh god, Paps, I’m _so_ sorry!”

“IT IS…NOT _YOUR_ FAULT.” He swallowed hard. “SANS WAS THE ONE THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO REPRINT THE RECIPE FOR ME BECAUSE I HAD GOTTEN EGG YOLKS ON THE LAST ONE!!!”

His brother scowled. “yer blamin’ me? i couldn’t get to it with the fuss you were makin’ this morning, now could i?”

What. Was going. On. “Sans--”

“WELL PERHAPS IF YOU HADN’T DONE THAT…THING…AND SAID THOSE…THINGS…I WOULD NOT HAVE KICKED YOU OUT OF THE HOUSE!”

Wait. Sans had been _kicked_ out? By his _brother_? And not as a joke? What the HELL had happened in the last twelve hours?!

“heh. that’s real rich.”

“IT IS NOT SOMETHING TO LAUGH ABOUT!!! I AM STILL CLEARLY UPSET AND…THE FACT THAT YOU CAN JUST IGNORE IT AND PRETEND RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER IS SO INSULTING I WANT TO SCREAM!!!”

“she doesn’t _need_ to know.”

“EXCEPT THAT SHE DOES??? IT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH HER! YOU JUST DON’T WANT TO OWN UP TO YOUR MISTAKES!!! BUT I AM NOT GOING TO LIE FOR YOU ANY MORE!”

“papyrus.”

“NO!!!”

You braced yourself for what was to come next, cold beads of sweat running down your spine. Sans was pissed. Papyrus was furious. You’d never seen the both of them so worked up. Sans had done something that would’ve hurt you? And Papyrus was doing his best to protect your interests?

“I AM TELLING HER.”

“ _stop._ ”

“MY BROTHER HAS BEEN CHEATING ON YOU!!!”

Oh.

Ouch.

You pushed your chair out from the table and made a move to leave. Papyrus’s burnt pasta dish sat in the center of the table, ignored and untouched. You couldn’t see straight. Your chest ached and the lump in your throat grew, tears already weighing you down as they welled up in the corners of your eyes. You bit down on the inside of your lower lip while the background noise of their argument escalated.

“we’ve been _over_ this.”

“I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU’RE SAYING, I’VE DONE MY RESEARCH AND THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT IT IS. DON’T TRY TO HIDE YOUR SHAME!!!”

Papyrus rushed after you to stop your beeline to the door. You were ready to walk home in your pajamas if you had to. Anything to get away from this overwhelming news.

So. Sans had found someone else, then. It could’ve been one of those mechanics at his car garage. He always complimented one of them because she’d graduated at top of her engineering class and chose to pursue a career in his field instead of robotics. Or maybe it was the old groupies from his comedy shows. He made a few appearances lately and mentioned you, so they might’ve just been all over him and gotten through to his ego.

This…didn’t make sense. And that was what destroyed you even MORE. Sans was supposed to be your other half. The two of you had done things…had shared things…that no one else had bothered with in your entire life. You devoted yourself to him because you trusted who he was and that he wouldn’t hurt me, at least not intentionally. He knew how fragile your ego and self-esteem was, so why would he ever even entertain the thought?

Both of them blocked your exit out into the street. You buried your face in your hands to stifle your sobs. They’d turned on each other once they realized what your reaction was.

“i _told_ you not to tell her that!”

“I’M NOT LYING FOR YOU ANY MORE! I’VE HAD…ENOUGH!!! NOW COME CLEAN WITH YOURSELF!”

“bro…”

“I DON’T CARE. I DON’T CARE, SANS!!! SHE DESERVES BETTER THAN THIS!”

“I don’t want to hear it!” You snapped, anger grabbing hold of you before you could let them see you crumble before their very eye(sockets). “I don’t care! Just get out of the way and let me go home!”

“no.”

“HE NEEDS TO BE HONEST WITH YOU.”

“ _Please_. Just leave me alone!”

Sans clutched at his chest. His SOUL throbbed underneath his jacket and you could see your own sharp words digging into it. Just enough that it made him wince. But he ignored the dull pain and kept his grin on, sweating through the shame and embarrassment.

“i…”

“HURRY UP, SANS. YOU’VE WAITED LONG ENOUGH.”

“i…”

You braced yourself.

“i was lookin’ at porn.”

?????

“AND TELL HER SPECIFICALLY WHAT YOU WERE LOOKING UP!”

Sans scratched at his cheek. He looked like he wanted to pull his hood up over his head and hide for the rest of his life. “bbw porn.”

“OH MY GOD. HEARING IT IS JUST OFFENSIVE. SANS VIOLATED YOUR RELATIONSHIP BY…OGLING OTHER WOMEN!!! DOING INAPPROPRIATE THINGS ON FULL DISPLAY! IN LEWD, GRAPHIC DETAIL! I SAW THE BROWSER HISTORY AND COULD SCARCELY BELIEVE IT! MY OWN BROTHER, GROSSLY ABUSING YOUR TRUST IN HIM AS HE ENGAGED IN DISTASTEFUL AND DISGUSTING THINGS!!!”

You swallowed. Looked hard at both of them. Papyrus’ face was red from yelling. Sans looked like he wanted to implode in on himself like a dying star. And you were caught in the middle.

“Sans. Papyrus.”

“I KNOW. YOU ARE GOING TO NEED TIME TO…PROCESS THIS.” He teared up. “I’M SORRY. I WANTED TO MAKE YOU A NEAT DINNER AND THEN I GOT DISTRACTED BECAUSE OF MY BROTHER. NOW IT’S RUINED AND YOU CAME OVER THINKING WE WOULD HAVE FUN AND HERE WE ARE, HAVING NOT-FUN!!!”

“That’s not cheating.”

Time slowed. Stopped. Ticked away. Picked back up and went into a rapid motion of gaping skeleton monsters and relief rushing along Sans’s face.

“I mean, for some people…yeah, it is?” You sniffled and tried to dry your tears, hating how you’d broken down so easily. “But it isn’t to me. Just…looking at other people doesn’t mean anything. Even if you were…you know…getting off on it? Who cares? I’ve looked at stuff like that before. And it’s not like I’m involved with someone else, it’s just…nice to be able to get rid of those annoying urges sometimes, get rid of curiosity, whatever!”

You couldn’t stop rambling now, your adrenaline coming toward you in full force. “And if you like that, then do it! It doesn’t bother me! We can even look at stuff together if it makes you feel better! But I…I’m okay with it!”

“B-BUT, THE MAGAZINE I WAS READING…” Papyrus couldn’t seem to wipe the shock from his face just yet. “IT SAID THAT THESE THINGS WERE CONSIDERED CHEATING??? AND THAT PARTNERS WHO DID IT WERE VIOLATING THEIR PARTNER’S TRUST???”

“What kind of magazine WAS it?”

He plucked it up from the small cabinet against the wall near the front door. “NEON CLOUDS!!! I CHOSE IT BECAUSE IT SPECIFICALLY STATED IT IS THE LEADING EXPERT ON ALL THINGS DATING.”

The preteen on the cover said otherwise. You took it and tried to tear it in half, forgetting in the midst of making your point that you were nowhere near strong enough to go through with it.

“Papyrus, please rip this up for me.”

“OKIE DOKIE.” He went at it like it was tissue paper. “WAIT! NOOOO!!! MY NEW READING AND RESEARCH MATERIAL!!!”

You chuckled weakly at his bug-eyed expression. “Please. Trust me. As…confident as this serial is, it’s not even close to what I feel. I…appreciate you trying to pick up on new stuff, but maybe you can consult with me on what you read?”

He deflated. “I JUST…DON’T WANT TO MESS THIS UP???”

“You’re doing an amazing job on your own. I know it’s kind of…hard that I don’t have a manual, but we can get through this. Together.”

He glanced down, a little disheartened by your lecture, but knew that it was coming from a good place. Papyrus bent down to embrace you tightly. Arms locked around your back, lifting you up just enough that your toes left the carpet. He pressed his teeth to your hair and muttered something in it, his muffled words not really registering but still causing a warmth to blossom in your chest anyway.

“SANS. I AM SORRY. I WAS…MISTAKEN.”

“s’ok, bro.”

In better spirits, he ambled off to the kitchen. He could save the dish, he said! He would correct his mistake and make this right!

Now it was just you and Sans.

You bit your lip. “So. Um.”

“…yeah.”

“BBW porn, huh?”

He nearly fell over from embarrassment, sweat pouring down his temple. “heh, well, y’see, i kinda heard that it differed from other stuff and wanted to see. maybe. just. to compare to ya and get used to the…softness and extra…y’know, you’re...real....” He gestured wildly. “and no one in the regular stuff compares, so...”

You shook your head in amusement. “You’re off the hook, Sansy. I’m just teasing you.”

He let out a long, shaky exhale and glanced off to the side. “damn it.”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong. It’s…really flattering that you care so much about wanting to make me comfortable that you’re expanding your horizons.” You burst out laughing. “I just.”

“yeah, yeah. i know.”

“Do you, though? Do you?” You smirked. “Close your eyes and open your hand. I’ve got something for you.”

Sans hesitated at first, knowing full well what you were doing, but acquiesced. Once you were sure he wasn’t peeking, you leaned forward and planted a warm kiss on his forehead. He melted under your lips with a shudder.

“uh. wow. that's… _cheating._ ” Grin.

“Pfft. You would know, huh?” You took his hand instead, mirroring his move just hours before. “Let’s…forget all about this, okay?”

“no way. i'm _definitely_ takin’ you up on your offer to watch some stuff…together.”

Oh, that was okay with you. Because just as he wanted to find out what made you tick, you were more than open to a little more…hands-on experience.

**Author's Note:**

>  **please leave me a comment**! your notes mean the world to me.
> 
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